Creation of the Center
Prior to the formation of a formal center, Gonzaga had diversity initiatives in place to support underrepresented students. The HERO (Helping to Educate Regarding Orientation) program began as a student club on campus. Established in 2004 under the Unity House umbrella, the center had a single Americorps volunteer for staff. For the following academic year, the center was staffed by a part-time graduate assistant. In 2007-2008, Jim Jones, a full-time staff member in IT, took on the role of part-time coordinator. The following years are a bit ambiguous in our timeline so if you have details, please reach out and let us know!
In 2015, both the LGBT Center and the Unity Multicultural Education Center (UMEC) moved into the new Hemmingson building. The LGBT center is renamed the Lincoln LGBTQ+ Resource Center after Alumni Joe Lincoln. At this time, the first full-time Program Coordinator, Matthew Barcus is hired specifically to run the center. During the 2016-2017 school year, UMEC and Lincoln were housed together under the Department of Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural Engagement (DICE) with an Assistant Dean overseeing topical Program Managers in each space. In 2022, Student Affairs realigned into three communities of practice: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Integrated Learning + Development; and Wellbeing + Flourishing. The centers under DICE are now administratively housed under the DEI pillar of student affairs. Both UMEC and the Lincoln Center hired Directors (Jessie Mancilla and Jamie Bartlett, respectively) to oversee program staff and students.
Gonzaga was the first Jesuit institution to have a dedicated resource center for LGBT students! Only a handful of the 28 Jesuit institutions of higher learning have a dedicated center today. If you're interested in starting your own center, reach out to us, maybe we can help!
